IMPRESSIVE GOOD THYROID NEWS!
After a grueling week by the United Kingdom’s General Medical Council (GMC) , it was decided that the UK’s most renowned thyroid practitioner, Dr. Gordon P. Skinner, should have all his restrictions lifted and his Fitness to Practice restored!
On November 11th, 2007, the GMC had decided that the beloved Dr Gordon Skinner was not fit to practice, simply because in 2005, he dared to listen to and dose by a patient’s clinically-presented thyroid symptoms rather than her TSH labwork–the latter which fell in the erroneous normal range. Even more dastardly, felt the GMC, Skinner was going to treat the patient without a referral letter from her GP, and may have failed to contact the GP. Heaven Forbid!!
Says a recent statement from TPA-UK:
The GMC have agreed that Dr Skinner was not acting dangerously in initiating treatment with thyroid hormone replacement for those patients who had normal thyroid function tests but who suffered several symptoms and signs of hypothyroidism. They also agreed that for those patients who did not do well on levothyroxine-only therapy, the use of natural desiccated thyroid extract (i.e. Armour Thyroid) was a safe and effective thyroid hormone replacement that doctors could prescribe, even though it remains unlicensed. This is a precedent – and one that the British Thyroid Association are most definitely very unlikely to be happy with.
There’s something huge to learn from this! It’s called PATIENT POWER, my thyroid friends, and what we must always practice in our fight to get far better treatment. Namely, what impressed the staff of the GMC was the sheer volume of the general public who attended the hearings in support of Dr. Skinner. Additionally, there was a nicely bound volume of over 2000 patient citations in support of him.
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SURVIVING STRESSFUL EVENTS EVEN WITH ADRENAL FATIGUE
Having adrenal fatigue with its low cortisol can be a challenge, even while you are on Hydrocortisone for your treatment (HC). So thyroid and adrenal fatigue patient Robin had to learn the hard way how to do something very stressful and still survive, adrenally. After moving to a new house, she created these excellent tips for dealing with any stressful event and preventing an adrenal meltdown:
- REST REST REST as much as you possibly can! Just sit and stop moving, give yourself permission to stop “doing” and just BE! Let others do the work.
- Don’t be afraid to stress dose with your HC! Remember that a healthy person’s adrenals can provide over 100mg per day when in very stressful circumstances! Of course this is not healthy long-term, but we do what we have to do to survive!
- Remember that if you stress dose, you’ll need to start a tapering down by 2.5 mg, holding for several days, then taking off another 2.5, etc until you work back down to your “regular” daily dose–the one that gave you stable Daily Average Temps.
- SALT! Drink lots of salt water (or juice–I prefer my salt in watered-down juice or other flavored drinks), salt your food heavily, and even eat lots of salty olives, if you like them! The adrenals thrive in salt, and this can also be important if your aldosterone levels are also sluggish.
- Eat lots of protein and fat and try to keep the carbs as low as you can!
- Give yourself permission to be a hermit for a while. People can wait for you to return their calls. Just enjoy some quiet and solitude for a while.
PAYING FORWARD WHAT STTM HAS GIVEN YOU!
Janie began a contract with a top-notch publicist to help get the word out to millions about the problems with T4-only, or for those remaining undiagnosed or undertreated due to the TSH lab test (similar to what Dr. Skinner above tried to avoid for one of his patients). She already has interviews scheduled and more gigs are coming.
But this contract won’t last long–it’s just too expensive for Janie alone. So your help is needed to reach more people, and soon.
Go here and read all about it.
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8 Responses to “Dr. Skinner has been exonerated! Plus how to survive stress with adrenal fatigue!”
Jane Rochester
I was a patient of doctor Skinners; I was one of the unlucky ones who did not gain a diagnosis of hypothyroidism from my GP. I suffered with ill health for decades. I became a member of Thyroid UK and TPAUK and was guided to this wonderful man who almost immediately diagnosed me (following questions, private blood test results and a brief examination) Finally someone who would help me back to full health. He was a true diamond. sadly he passed away just over a year ago. I agree wholeheartedly that we should all pass on the message , we are stronger in numbers and we can achieve so much if we stick together. I wrote a book about my trials from puberty to my late thirties and the lifeline support groups offer undiagnosed and undertreated patients called; Stop it You’re Killing Me because It’s imperative that we all speak out.
Penny
Janie i have no thyroid i am 200 mcg oroxine per day plus ciprimil i just had a 24 hr saliva test done the test came back reading high cortisols and i am so swelled up in the body i know u have to eat right but i do that already i sometimes splurge out but what can i do to bring it down as i tried armour that didnt work now i know why my cortisols are high your feed back would be much appreciated
Thank u
And god bless you
Clare
But bad behaviour is occurring in the UK towards Dr Gordon Skinner by some Doctors in the NHS , below explains what happened ~~~~~~~~On the 29th August 2013 I travelled approx 145 miles to see the wonderful TOP DOC Skinner. The next day I had an appointment with a GP at my past Surgery 30th August 2013 , I was asked by this GP if Dr Skinner had any restrictions on his GMC registration , I replied yes and the reasons why — The GP’s reply was “Yes indeed you are right he does a restriction on his GMC registration fitness to practice ” My reply was , why did you ask me if you already knew the answer ? Its my belief this underhanded GP was going to report Doctor Skinner to the GMC if Id said I was not aware of this , or words to this effect, since I have learnt Dr Skinner must inform patients he treats that he has a restriction to Practice, which of course Dr Skinner does — This behaviour by Doctors is appalling and beyond belief , Doctors are supposed to be “Honest and Open” , clearly this GP is less than truthful
Elizabeth Marriott
Is there a doctor in Glasgow who works with thyroid patients and is on board with all the knowledge STTM has to offer? I’ve had lifelong thyroid problems and want to be free of them for the rest of my life. But I need guidance as I am not well-positioned to do a lot of this research for myself, until I’m feeling stronger and sharper. Pls. advise.
Many thanks,
EM
Brian
Hello Janie! I’m a hypothyroid male who’s about to start a new medication. Was on Naturethroid for a while but made the mistake of not raising my dosages properly and was stuck with 1 grain for several months which made me even more hypo. At that point I couldn’t raise the dosage because I had been stuck on 1 grain for so long that raising it a bit didn’t really change my temperature but gave me some annoying hyper symptoms. So I went off meds for a few months and now I’m ready to start again. I have all the typical hypo symptoms like being cold all the time and high TSH. I have to decide what type of medication to start with: T4 (levothyroxine) or Armour (these are the only two options available for me as I’m currently working outside of the USA). I know you’d say it’s a no-brainer, I should go for the Armour. But there are a few issues with that in my mind. I keep reading on your website and others that Armour has reformulated and not as effective–but is it still more effective than levothyroxine only? another issue is that I’m afraid of shortages with Armour. it would suck to end up a few months into thyroid treatment and then meds aren’t available anymore. Levothyroxine is available all the time. I guess I could switch from Armour to levothyroxine in case of Armour shortage but wouldn’t my body react badly to that?
What should I do? T4 (levothyroxine) or Armour.
(From Janie: Armour. Chew it up. For further feedback, here are great patient groups: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/talk-to-others)
Julie Williamson
Thank goodness for common sense prevailing and patient power, now we need Dr Brian McDonough to be reinstated and I shall be very happy for without this man I would not be here the way I am today. My ‘normal’ was ‘normal’ for an 85 yr old woman, I was 48!
Linda Larson
Such good news and long in coming…..finally our needs are being understood and honored.
Cheryl Benkert
Do you have dates for your radio interviews, yet?
From Janie:
Live in NEW JERSEY or NEW YORK CITY or can hear WDVR-FM? I will be interviewed for 15 minutes by Victoria & Rosalind Davis of “The Low Down”, 6-7 pm Central.http://wdvrfm.org/schedule.htm You can listen LIVE right on the link to the left. (I am being interviewed at 8:30 am Central, so not sure if it’s really then, or pre-recorded).
Live in or near GREAT FALLS, MONTANA, or can hear the radio station KXLO?? I will be interviewed live next Monday morning, November 28th at 9:10 am Mountain time by host Phyllis Hall for 15 minutes.Click on SITE LINKS to listen live, as well.http://www.kxlo-klcm.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=21&Itemid=29